Review: Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry

Walk the Edge

Katie McGarry

(Thunder Road #2)

Publication Date: March 29, 2016

Hardcover, 384 pages, Harlequin Teen

Genres: YA, Contemporary, Romance

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One moment of recklessness will change their worlds

Smart. Responsible. That's seventeen-year-old Breanna's role in her large family, and heaven forbid she put a toe out of line. Until one night of shockingly un-Breanna-like behavior puts her into a vicious cyber-bully's line of fire—and brings fellow senior Thomas "Razor" Turner into her life.

Razor lives for the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, and good girls like Breanna just don't belong. But when he learns she's being blackmailed over a compromising picture of the two of them—a picture that turns one unexpected and beautiful moment into ugliness—he knows it's time to step outside the rules.

And so they make a pact: he'll help her track down her blackmailer, and in return she'll help him seek answers to the mystery that's haunted him—one that not even his club brothers have been willing to discuss. But the more time they spend together, the more their feelings grow. And suddenly they're both walking the edge of discovering who they really are, what they want, and where they're going from here.

My Review

We’re back in Snowflake, Kentucky for this second installment in Katie McGarry’s hot new YA contemporary world. And boy, are things getting heavy.

The book starts out introducing the new female of the Thunder Road bunch. Her name is Breanna and she has nine—yes, you heard right NINE—brothers and sisters. Brenna is smart and likes to solve puzzles, so when Razor comes into her life acting like the biggest puzzle of all, it’s no wonder she wants to “solve” him. Especially since Razor’s not exactly the most talkative member of the Reign of Terror and now that some secrets have come to light, he’s not sure the Reign of Terror is even for him anymore. He’s the perfect mystery, right?

Granted, the love story between Breanna and Razor seems to be a little cliché at first. I mean, she’s the smart, misunderstood, and mistreated girl, while he’s the bad boy with a dangerous secret. However, the problems the two face are not cliché whatsoever. Breanna’s family issues all stem from being the “good girl” of the bunch who never has any problems, so her parents never make time for her because they think she has her life together. How many of us have lived through that before? I know I have. I thought Breanna’s family was ridiculously realistic and I wish I had seen more of her relationship with her parents. Additionally, Razor’s family problems were so heart-wrenching that I just wanted to cuddle up with him and kiss it all better. The only issues I had with any of the two’s family dilemmas were 1) Breanna’s parents were a little too medieval towards the end, and 2) I wish Breanna and Razor had made it a point to share their feelings a little more. It constantly seemed like all the adults were just brushing the main characters’ emotions off.

Because this is a Katie McGarry story, there can’t just be a love interest with some family drama. No, there’s got to be some sort of dangerous thrill in there somewhere. In comes douchebag Kyle who decides blackmailing people is a good way to get through life. I have to admit, normally I loathe the naughty picture/sex tape/etc. plotline, so I was a tad disappointed that a Katie McGarry novel had one. Katie usually has such unique plots, despite writing romance books (I have nothing against romance books, but sometimes the plots are a tad repetitive), and resorting to such a terribly overused trope had me worried, but Katie managed to pull it off. There was a little more to Kyle than met the eye and Breanna didn’t let Razor solve her problems for her. That took a lot of heart, and I’m glad Breanna is such a strong, lifelike character.

By the end of this book, I couldn't believe it was over. I had flown through it in less than ten hours (with some minor breaks along the way) and I am now desperate to get my hands on the third book. 2016 just started, but I need 2017 here immediately.

All in all, I can’t recommend this book enough. Yes, it had some overused tropes, but you have to trust Katie McGarry to put her own, fantastic spin on them, because you know she will, and you’ll love her even more for it. So, if you’re in any way a fan of romance, motorcycles, hot boys, and/or kissing scenes, don’t hesitate: run to your nearest bookstore, purchase Walk the Edge (and Nowhere But Here if you haven’t read the first book yet), devour Walk the Edge, then sit in misery like me and wait for book #3.

*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher via Netgalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.